"Now You Take 'Bambi' or 'Snow White' --- That's Scary" Discussion

            In the essay, Now You Take 'Bambi' or 'Snow White' --- That's Scary, Stephen King presents the argument that the origin of children stories or fairy tales such as Bambi, Snow White, or Hansel and Gretel are actually very violent, grim and inappropriate for young children to watch or be exposed too despite mentioning that what you expose your children to is the responsibility of the parents and them alone to decide. For the most part, this argument is persuasive. In his essay, King creates valid points to support his argument. Although most of the fairy tales have be recreated by Disney and taken on a cartoon like aspect, the true context of the stories are still there, being grim, dark, twisted, and frighting for children. Although the modern versions of the fairy tales are more child like, the origins of fairy tales created by the Brothers Grimm are very dark and twisted. Today those aspects are included in Disney movies which clearly can frighten children. Such examples include Bambi, where the mother is shot, or Hansel and Gretel, where there is a cannibalistic women who tries the consume two children. Many parents never realize the true context of these stories and how grim they are. I believe that Stephan King does have a point, that children stories are perhaps not suitable for young children. I also agree with his argument that parents take responsibility for what their children can and cannot watch as this action is entirely up to them to decide as the children are their own. Hurst also brings up a good point when he says "not that it's possible to keep kids away from everything on TV that will freak them out' (Hurst 3).I agree with this point because children's own curiosity will drive them to discover and watch such frightening movies. However, I believe his idea of a high shelf and later showing is a suitable idea for TV networks and a good solution. Therefore, children can still watch TV and movies, but their intake of scary movies and show are limited as this is controlled by the parents. Overall, I believe his evidence on Disney and scary show or movies is credible by supporting reasonable evidence such as giving his own personal stories and experience.

How Does Hurst Use Characterization to Portray the Brotherly Relationship in the Scarlet Ibis?

        In the short story the Scarlet Iris, Hurst uses indirect characterization to illustrate to the reader that Doodle is overly dependent with regrades to his brother: "'I'm going to teach you to walk Doodle' I said 'Why?' 'So I won't have to haul you around all the time'" (Hurst 1). Due to Doodles physical condition of being disabled, he relies heavily on his brother to provide, support, and care for him. Although Hurst does not directly reveal to the audience that Doodle is immensely  dependent on others, Hurst through the use of the narrator actions and speech, expresses to the reader that Doodle is a great burden and must be provided for all the time. Further more, the narrator describes his brother as "different from everybody else" (Hurst 3) and a disappointment or failure" (Hurst 1). Doodle is constantly portrayed with negative words which allows the author to convey the idea that Doodle is more of a burden and a great hardship than most. In conclusion, the Hurst allows the reader, with the use of indirect characterization, to feel sympathetic toward the narrator and empathize the hardship and strain that has been placed with him. This leads to the idea that despite the difficulties, the narrator is a caring and loving brother with regrades to providing for Doodle, despite the extra burden.

Questions On August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains

What do you think the theme of this story is?


     I believe that the theme of the story August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury, is  that humanity should not become dependent on technology, but use it as minimally as possibly. If not, our dependency and obsession with technology will become our destruction. Where humanity has the ability to create great things, these things can also destroy humanity with overuse.


How do specific elements in the story help you come to this conclusion?


     One element that captures the idea that technology can lead to humanity's destruction is the allusion and description of the five spots of paint on the wall on the house outside: "The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places. Here the silhouette of a man..a women... a small boy.. the image of a thrown ball.. a girl" (Bradbury 1).On August 6, 1945 a nuclear bomb was dropped at Hiroshima and exploded. The radiation was so strong civilians shadows or outlines burned and melted into the walls. The silhouette of the family burned into the house illustrates this.  We also have the quote "at night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles" (Bradbury 1).These quotes illustrate allusion in the sense that the author is relating the story to events from Hiroshima. Although technology is helpful and useful , it suggests that if the power of technology is abused it could destroy and overtake humanity. The over use of technology and man's heavy dependence on it, becomes their obsession. They believe that there are no limits to this power. Humanity's curiosity, greed, and desire leads to their downfall. Humanity constantly pushes the boundaries of technology an example being  the destructive nuclear bomb, killing thousands of innocent civilians. This event in history is allows us to conclude if technology is over used it can lead to the destruction of civilizations. This event in the story and history effects the reader by illustrating the theme. It also allows the reader to feel antagonistic toward the over use of technology. Another element that allows the reader to conclude this theme is the use of similes. "Fire, fire, run, run like a tragic nursery rhyme a dozen voices high and low like children dying in a forest" (Bradbury 4)."Deep freeze, armchair, film tapes, circuits, beds, and all like skeletons thrown in a cluttered mound deep under" (Bradbury 4). These similes are very effective when it comes to illustrating the theme that technology is destructive. Both these quotes create a haunting, evil, terrifying, and tragic mood for the reader. This effect of emotion allows the reader to capture the idea that the house is perishing due to the negative side-effects of technology. Technology can be a negative thing in a sense and can cause tragedy. Thus we can draw the conclusion that where humanity has the ability to create great things, these things can also destroy humanity with overuse.

My Conclusion/Ending and Reasoning To The Bet

 My Ending to The Bet

The banker winced in pain as he shifted his weight in his bed. Ever since the bet, guilt had eaten him alive and the memories swirled in his head as he tried to remember exactly what happened. He gasped trying to collect enough breath to call his son’s name. “John” he cried. “Father,” the young boy said, “father you must rest, please father”. “No, listen.....you must listen carefully to me" he cried. "Many years ago I made a terrible decision to ruin a man’s life and ever since I have regretted my decisions, please as my last request, right my wrongs and correct the past. I have never told a soul and regret this, but the truth is in the safe, please I beg of you so I may go in peace. Please fix my doings”. The old man’s eyes then rolled into his head and he drew his last breath. Many months after the sons grieving, John ventured into his father’s study and received the letter. As he read the letter his curiosity grew as he wished to understand the lawyer and his decisions. Hoping to then apologize for his fathers mistakes,  he set off  to find the lawyer. He searched high and low for many years but the lawyer was never to be found. Rumors and stories spread about the strange man and the outrageous bet but that answers to whatever happened to the lawyer or why the he ran away were lost along with him.

My Reasoning for My Conclusion to The Bet

In the short story The Bet we are introduced to the character the banker who has the characteristics of a hard, greedy, and competitive man. Throughout the story the reader can only see these traits in the banker.  However, toward the end of the story we see a completely different side to him. When the banker reads the lawyers letter in which he renounces the two million, the banker began to cry and kissed the lawyer on the head. In this moment we can see the banker’s true emotion and his relief about keeping his money. The banker is grateful to the lawyer for giving him his wealth back. However, because of his pride he refuses to admit he lost the bet and locks the letter up in his safe. I believe that eventually he would tell someone about the bet and his greed, hence locking the money up in a safe, as at the end of the story the reader gets to see this characters true personality such as his shame or broken qualities.  I then feel, whoever he told his great secret to would have a moral obligation and enough curiosity to find the lawyer  to understand why the lawyer did what he did and apologies to him. However, the lawyer, as we see throughout the story, despises and hates the world. I believe the lawyer would run away and refuse to be found  as he has such a strong hatred toward the world and society. That hatred would continue to fuel him and make him stay in hiding for the rest of his life.